What We've Needed
by JaxBAM
Summary: Maggie finally recognized her love for Bianca as more than friendship.


What We've Needed

This is my first attempt at fanfic. Be gentle. I must confess that I only saw bits a pieces of the whole Bianca/Maggie story. I hope that I do it justice. In this scenario, the surprise on the plane never occurs...

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Bianca or Maggie, their beautiful lives belong to ABC and AMC and I thank them for it!

_What on earth were you thinking! _Maggie chastised herself as she made her way to the boathouse. She needed a little bit of peace and quiet...time to think. Most of all, she needed to get away from Bianca. If she had spent one more second... She didn't want to think about what she might have done, what might have happend. Didn't want to...that didn't mean the scene beforehand didn't flash before her eyes every second. Even the cold February wind couldn't cut through the heat coursing through her body. All she saw over and over again in her mind's eye was her best friend lying on the couch napping.

She had approached slowly, kneeling on the floor near the sleeping woman and watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She was swept my tenderness and love and a slight smile touched her lips. They had been through so much recently. Bianca regaining Miranda...Maggie escaping Jonathan...almost losing Bianca in the process. Yet they always seemed to find each other again, recover that bond. _She's leaving. _Maggie's brows drew down at the painful thought. Paris..._and I said 'no'._

She leaned over and reached to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her Bink's ear when Bianca sighed in her sleep and whispered in a husky voice, "...Maggie..."

She stopped her hand immediately and stared at her friend as she grew slightly restless in her slumber. Bianca turned her head to one side, still so innocently asleep, yet presenting to Maggie's mind, a most wanton picture. Bianca's neck arched slightly and her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Maggie could only stare, enthrawled by the moisture now glistening on her friend's lips. Bianca relaxed again and her head bobbed back to its original position on the pillow, her mouth now temptingly close . It was as if Maggie left herself for a moment. She realized the tension knotting in her belly was desire and it frightened her. Still she leaned forward and nestled her nose lightly into Bianca's ebony locks, drawing in her scent. Even as she did this, she felt conflicted. She knew she loved Bianca, of course she did. Her best friend, the best thing in her life. She closed her eyes for a second and let her walls down, let the emotions rush over them as they came crashing. She peeked out from beneath her lashes and watched the smooth skin of Bianca's neck come closer as she nuzzled her lips against it briefly, feeling the even pulse that beat just beneath the skin. She pulled herself back, her heart pounding as she stood to find her coat and scarf and made a hasty exit. _Oh my God. Oh...my...God._

Now as she neared the boathouse, her mind was again awash with those same old fears and struggles. _Is this real? Is this really love?_ She gulped. _What else could it be? Intense friendship...you are a fool, Mags._ She looked to the frozen water as another memory came rushing over her. A memory she had unsuccessfully tried to keep at bay.

"Please, talk to me. Please open your heart to me. Let me be a friend to you, the way you were always a friend to me," Bianca's tear filled eyes added to the pleading in her voice and tugged at Maggie's heart, but she was hurting too much. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling at the moment.

"Maybe Jonathan just doesn't love me. Maybe I'm just not lovable."

Bianca's eyes filled with sadness and disbelief. She stepped closer as her hands came to lightly grasp her friend's arms, caressing her as she spoke. "Don't you ever say that again. Ever. You _are_ lovable."

Maggie seemed to struggle somewhere between holding back and allowing her friend to see her pain, to offer her comfort. "But if, if what you are saying is true...and if Jonathan doesn't love me, then..."

Bianca softly cut off any of her further musings. "Will you listen to yourself? Look at what he's making you feel about yourself." She cupped the the shorter woman's face and brushed her knuckles down her cheek. "You...are...smart, and...and beautiful, and funny...and strong! You were my rock, you remember that? There was a time I didn't know how to put one foot in front of the other and you showed me how. I cherish every-single-part of you." Bianca struggled to keep the deep emotion from her voice. "You are extremely beautifully lovable."

Not for one moment during the whole exchange did their steady gaze with one another break. As Maggie looked into her eyes, she felt the stirring of nearly buried feelings surface. "You love me as a friend. You love me _just_ as a friend."

Bianca once again cupped her face and shook her head ever so slightly, breaking eye contact finally as her gaze dropped briefly to Maggie's lips. "No...it's so much more than that." Bianca then brought her hands to pull her in close. She lightly clasp the back of Maggie's head with one hand, her other hand carressing her ear and neck and kissed her friend on the forehead.

Maggie let out a small sigh as a bit of comfort seeped its way into her. Before she realized what was happening, she felt a breath and then sheer softness against her lips. Bianca was kissing her. She felt loved, she felt gentled, she felt safe...she felt herself _responding_ and she let herself be lost in it for a moment. Bianca moved her hand down to Maggie's waist and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss slightly and cupping her face. Maggie seemed to snap out of her temporary euphoria and pushed Bianca away in confusion, not able to meet her eyes for a moment as she tried to sort out what was happening to her.

A small moan escaped Bianca's lips as they parted. She seemed just as dazed and confused as Maggie. She let out a slight gasp, getting her bearings. "I think I was wrong. You're not just a friend to me. I think, I think I'm...I've fallen in love with you."

Maggie came back to herself in the present. She had brought her fingertips up to touch her lips in the memory. She shuddered with recognition. _How many times does it have to be right under your nose? _Bianca drunkenly confessing her feelings, her own jealousy over Lena...kissing Binks - oh the confusion that brought on. Now here they were, two years later...and despite their friendship, they had really gotten nowhere together...but arrived at this place in their lives seperately. Hopelessly in love. The only difference was, Bianca was not afraid to ask for what she wanted, make it clear what she felt. _Still holding back. It ends here..._ She smiled to herself and felt tears come to her eyes. _...and begins..._ She turned around to make her way back to the apartment.

Bianca awoke suddenly and sat straight up. "Maggie?" No answer. She got up to check on Miranda before remembering that she was with Erica for the next few days since they would be leaving soon. She sat back down on the couch and stretched. Her eyes landed on a picture of herself with Maggie holding Miranda. They were giggling at the baby and someone just snapped it. It brought a smile to her face followed immediately by a frown. She looked around at all of the picture frames littering any open available space. She and Miranda...and Maggie. She sighed and leaned forward to cradle her head in her hands. There was nothing left to say and her heart was breaking. She heard the key in the lock just as she had hopped up off the couch and walked into the kitchen.

"Hey, where'd you go? I thought about pasta for dinner...you hungry?" Silence. "Maggie?" Dead silence. She turned around from the counter to seek out her friend and about jumped out of her skin. Maggie stood right in the doorway looking at her. "Damn, you scared m...Maggie, what's wrong?" The shorter girl stood right where she was, a look on her face Bianca had never seen before.

Biancaopened her mouth to speak and closed it immediately. Something in Maggie's eyes brought her stomach into her throat and made her heart do flip flops. Something in those eyes told her nothing was wrong...and nothing would ever be wrong for them again. Maggie tilted her head slightly to one side as a slow smile came to her lips.

"You still got room for one more?"

Bianca's breath came out in a half choked gasp and slow tears eased their way down both cheeks. Maggie walked to her slowly and reached up, the smile disappearing from her face as she wiped away her tears. She traced the taller woman's brows with her fingertips and brought her thumbs to rest at the corners of her lips before she dropped one hand to take ahold of one of Bianca's.She traded the thumb now dancing along her jawline for two fingers that she placed under Bianca's chin and without another word, slowly pulled her down for a kiss.

The kiss was near chaste at first, getting a feel for each other, the softness and the texture. Bianca opened her lips to the mouth pressing up into hers and felt Maggie's tongue slip right passed them and inside. She was breathless and light-headed as she felt herself being pressed backwards into the refrigerator. She brought her hands up and pushed them through Maggie's hair, pulling her closer and increasing the depth of the kiss. Her tongue slid along Maggie's and delved into the warm recesses of her mouth, only breaking away when the need to breathe overtook her. She stared into Maggie's eyes, a bit of shock showing on her face.

Maggie brought her still clasped hand up to her lips and kissed her knuckles, never breaking eye contact. Her other hand reached up to tuck a piece of Bianca's hair behind her ear. "I am so sorry it has taken me so long to be what you have wanted, what you need..."

"Maggie, you've always been what I want and what I've needed..."

Maggie cut her off, placing her fingers over her lips. "Shhh...shhh, please let me say this." Bianca silently nodded, her lips and chin quivering with emotion. Maggie moved to take her other hand as well, now clasping them both between them. "I am sorry it has taken me so long to be what _we've_ wanted and needed...but I can see it all so clearly now. I only hope that you still love me half as much as I always knew you did." She wiped a tear away from Bianca's cheek, the first of many joyful ones to come. "I love you so much. So much, B. Can we do this? Can we love each other?"

Bianca tilted her head to the side and brought their hands up, pulling them close to her chest. "You are the_ best_ part of my heart." She let one hand drop and brought it up to Maggie's cheek, a soft carress before feathering over her ear and pulling her in for another soft kiss and finally resting their foreheads together. "We can do this. I want so much for us to love this way." Their lips met once again as Maggie wrapped her arms around Bianca's waist and pulled her close.


End file.
